Juan Mata came on as a substitute to score in the 67th minute and give Manchester United a much-needed 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Just four minutes after coming on for Adnan Januzaj, the United midfielder curled a deflected shot past Julian Speroni to hand Louis van Gaal’s team their first win in four matches. It was another lackluster display, however, and United’s expensively assembled attacking lineup struggled to crack open the visitors’ defense for large parts of the match.
Fraizer Campbell wasted a great chance to score for Palace against his old team in the first half, and United hung on for a rare clean sheet that lifted them up to a provisional fifth place.
Hopes that Liverpool would be able to breathe new life into the Premier League title race were punctured as Chelsea won 2-1 at Anfield, staying four points clear of second-place Southampton.
Emre Can handed Liverpool the lead after nine minutes on a deflected shot from distance that bounced off a Chelsea defender and eluded goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The festive atmosphere around Anfield quickly subsided, though, when Gary Cahill equalised five minutes later. Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet did well to parry John Terry’s free header from a corner kick, but the rebound dropped to Cahill and the defender scored from close range. Mignolet got two hands to the shot, only for his momentum to carry him and the ball over the goal line.
The frenetic pace slowed after the equaliser, which suited Chelsea. On 68 minutes, Cesar Azpilicueta beat Philippe Coutinho down the left and sent in a cross that Mignolet only managed to push away. The rebound fell to Diego Costa, who steered in the loose ball to the delight of the travelling supporters and the disappointment of Chelsea’s title rivals.
Costa’s goal was his 10th of the Premier League campaign, matching Sergio Aguero of Manchester City.
Liverpool were left furious at referee Anthony Taylor, who denied them a late penalty appeal. Steven Gerrard’s thumping shot in the 88th minute took a deflection off Cahill’s arm in the box, only for Taylor to wave away Liverpool’s protests.
Shane Long went some way towards justifying his transfer fee on Saturday, coming off the bench to score twice in Southampton’s 2-0 win over Leicester City. Long struck in the 75th and 80th minutes, his first goals for the side since joining from Hull City. The victory kept Southampton four points behind leaders Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Ashley Barnes scored as Burnley earned their first win of the season with a 1-0 defeat of Hull, though they stayed at the foot of the table. They moved level with 19th-place Queens Park Rangers on seven points.
Aston Villa were left indebted to their American goalkeeper Brad Guzan as they drew 0-0 at West Ham United. Guzan made several saves over the course of the match to earn Villa a point, including two in second-half stoppage time to thwart West Ham substitute Andy Carroll.
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